清海無上師以英文講於美國加州洛杉磯1996.03.14（影帶編號#537b）
問: 有些同修在從事科學或醫學研究時，不得不犧牲或傷害動物。請問從事這種科學研究與違背不殺生的戒律，這兩者之間如何取得平衡？
答: 兩者沒什麼差別。人們假借科學之名，白白犧牲了很多動物的生命，像活體解剖等等。我不喜歡這種事。如果你們要做的話，那是違背自己的良心，我不認為你們會喜歡。
修行一段時間以後，你會對動物的痛苦非常敏感。動物跟你一樣也有靈魂，同樣都會感到痛苦，所以最好避免這種事。如果真的沒辦法避免，那就做吧！不過後果必須自己承受。
問: 但是如果那是屬於自己的工作範圍，除了換工作以外沒辦法避免，那該怎麼辦？
答: 那就換工作。
問: 依您的看法，有沒有其他可行的方法，既不用犧牲動物，又能發展醫藥？
答: 方法有很多。古時候的人並沒有利用動物來測試藥品，但現在的人做什麼事都要抓動物來犧牲，我不曉得為什麼。這種行為就跟犧牲自己的小孩一樣，真的！所以我還能說什麼呢？你已經知道答案，知道該怎麼做了。
我們真的沒有必要殺害動物，比方說，有些廠商利用動物來測試化妝品，犧牲動物的生命，但是也有很多化妝品並沒有經過動物測試，效果和品質還是很好，這表示說，根本並不需要犧牲動物。
此外，我們如果多打坐，就不太需要吃藥，你們都有這種體驗。當然，我沒辦法改變每個現代人的生活方式，但是你們都知道，為了延續生命而殺生是沒有用的，因為死亡並不能帶來生命，生命更不可能來自死亡。假如生命始於死亡，也必然再以死亡結束。
我們不能拿別人或其他眾生的屍體來填飽肚子，否則，我們終究會受到影響，因為死亡不能帶來新生，所以我們才要吃素。看看化妝品就曉得，很多化妝品都註明不用動物測試，它們的品質遠比那些有經過動物測試的來得更好，而且價格更便宜，更適合我們的皮膚，也更經濟實惠。這些化妝品用起來皮膚更舒爽，感覺更輕鬆，不會覺得很沉重或有負擔。所以事實上，動物測試絕對沒有必要！
你們身為科學家的人也很清楚，很多經過動物測試的藥品不見得適用在人類身上，因為人類與動物之間有很多差異。不過科學家還是要試看看，他們是很好意，但就像屠夫宰殺動物為了填飽人們肚子的情況一樣。
問: 不過這是研發任何藥品的行規之一。
答: 那就看你是要選擇工作，還是選擇自己的生命。如果你認為那是正當的行為，那你就繼續做這種違背良心的工作吧！不過，如果你認為自己是屬於和平的團體，具有高尚的人格及崇高的思想，那就找個更符合良知和高雅理想的職業。
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/ch/news/160/index2.htm
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Selected Questions and Answers
Choose a Profession
Suited to Your
Conscience
and Noble Ideals
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai, Los Angles, CA, USA, March 14, 1996 (Originally in English) Videotape # 537b
Q: How do fellow initiates who do scientific or medical research and have to sacrifice animals or hurt them balance such scientific study with the other aspect of having to violate the precept of non-killing?
M: Both are the same. In the name of science, people make many useless sacrifices such as vivisection and so on. I don’t like it. If you want to do that, you do it against your own conscience. But I don’t think you’ll like it.
After some time, you become very sensitive to the animals’ suffering. Animals have souls exactly like you do and they also suffer. So the best way is to avoid it. If you can’t avoid it then do it, but then you’ll have to bear it.
Q: But how do you do that if it’s part of the job unless one changes professions?
M: Then change.
Q: In Your view, is there any other way to develop medicine without using animals?
M: There are many ways. In ancient times people didn’t use animals to test medicines. People now use animals for all kinds of things; I don’t know why. It’s as if they’re using their own children, really. What can I tell you? You know what to do already; you know the answer.
The killing of animals is really unnecessary. For example, they kill the animals used in animal testing for cosmetics and so on. But there are so many cosmetics made without animal testing, which are still beautiful and good. So that means it’s really not necessary to sacrifice animals for anything.
Besides, if we meditate more, we don’t really need that much medicine. You’ve all had this experience. Of course I can’t change the way people live today, not every one of them. But you know for yourselves, it’s useless to kill for the sake of life because the dead will not bring life. Life cannot come from death. When life begins with death, it will end again with death.
We can’t use the dead body of someone else or some other being to feed ourselves. Eventually it will affect us because death can’t give birth to life. That’s why we have to be vegetarian. Look at the cosmetics and you’ll know. Many cosmetics have “Not Animal Tested” written on the label, and they’re far superior to those with animal testing. They’re even less expensive and more suitable for the skin, more convenient and economically better. Your skin feels better and you feel lighter when you use them. You don’t feel a heavy or burdened kind of feeling. So actually, animal testing is never, never, never necessary.
As you who are scientists know very well, many of the medicines tested on animals can’t be applied to humankind because they have so many differences. But the scientists try. Well, it’s with good intentions, just like the butcher who kills animals to feed the people.
Q: It’s just that this is part of the requirements for the development of any drug.
M: Then choose your job, or choose your life. If you think it’s justified, then you follow that job against your conscience. But if you think you belong to a group of peaceful beings with more noble character and higher thinking, then choose a profession more suitable to your conscience and your noble ideals. ♥
♥ Choose a Profession Suited to Your Conscience and Noble Ideals
澳洲雪梨小中心
澳洲雪梨小中心
澳洲雪梨小中心
問：在現代社會，我們每天都要工作，一旦投入工作，就很難打坐。我們可以在工作時打坐嗎？面對這種情況有沒有什麼好方法？
身 (6)